Safety angle-cock for air-brakes.



No. 733,503. 'PATENTED JULT14, 1903.- P. MCGUIRE & C. WAHL. SAFETY ANGLE COCK FOR AIR BRAKESQ APPLICATION FILED DEC. 5, 1901.

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-ZWM2 bi v No. 733,503. PATENTED JULY 14, 1903..

P. MCGUIRE & 0. WAHL. SAFETY ANGLE GOGK FOR AIR BRAKES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 5, 1901.

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PATENTED JULY 14, 1903.

P. MQGUIRE & 01., WAHL. SAFETY ANGLE COCK 3%; AIR BRAKES.

APPLICATION FILED; REG). 5.,, 1901. NO MODEL 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WASHINGTON, Dv c NITED STATES Patented July 14, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

PATRICKMOGUIRE, OF CHICAGO, AND CHRIS WAHL, OF WEST CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

, SAFETY ANGLE-COCK FOR AlR -BRAKES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 733,503, dated July 14,1903. Application filcdDeoember 5; 1901. Serial No. 841843. (No model.)

To (2% whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, PATRICK MCGUIRE, residing at the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook, and CHRIS WAHL, residing at the town of West Chicago, in the county of Dupage, State of Illinois, citizens of the United States, have invented a new and useful Safety Angle-Cock for Air-Brakes,of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in and appertaining to the angle-cock inserted in the air-brake train-pipe at the rear end of each. car and the locomotive in an air-brake equipped train.

The object of our invention is to provide effective safety appliances whereby the partial or complete shutting ofi of an angle-cock anywhere between the rear end of the whole train-pipe and the engineers valve will antomatically operate a signal audible or visible to the train-crew and also automatically set the brakes operated by the portion of the train-pipe behind the cut-off, and thus warn the engineer that some rear portion of his train is no longer under his full control. Such a partialor complete shutting off of an angle cock frequently takes place either through accident, carelessness, or mischievous or malicious design and may not be discovered by the engineer until it is too late to avert the disastrous consequences of not being able to brake a heavy train within the limit of distance ordinarily allowed by the engineer for such operation.

Ourinvention consists,primarily,in so modifying the ordinary angle-cock as to provide means whereby the partial or complete shutting off of the angle-cock shall automatically operate a signal audible or visible to the traincrew and means whereby the said shutting off shall more or less gradually set the brakes operated by the portion of train-pipe behind such cut-0E.

It further consists in providing such addi' tional ports or conduits in or connected with the plug of the angle-cock that when the said plug is turned to partially or completely shut off the train-pipe to the rear the air in the train-pipe ahead, escaping through a small accessory pipe, will operate a signal-whistle or other appliance upon or Within the car to which the angle-cock is attached.

It further consists in providing such additional ports or conduits in or connected with the plug of the angle-cock that when the said plug is turned to partially or completely shut oi? the portion of the train-pipe to the rear of the angle-cock the air in said rear portion of the train-pipe shall more or less gradually escape and with or without operating any other signal set the brakes operated by such I cut-off portion of the train-pipe; and our invention further consists in the various forms of construction and more or less accessory details hereinbelow specified as serving to effectuate the objects and purposes set forth in the foregoing paragraphs.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective from the front and side of a preferable form of our complete device. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the anglecock in its open or through-train-line position with the signal-whistle and part of the small accessory connecting-pipe thereof in side elevation. Fig. 3 is a like section with the angle-cock shut 01? and without the elevation of the signal-Whistle. Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation of the plug in the position in which the same is shown in place within its casing in Fig. 2, but seen from the opposite side. verse section of the plug, with partial elevational view on the line 5 5 of Fig. t. Fig. 6 is a like section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 4:. Fig. 7 is a vertical transverse section of the open angle-cock on the line 7 7 of Fig. 2, with the rear train-pipe air-vent and part of the signal-whistle and its connecting-pipe in rear elevation. Fig. 8 is a like section of the shut-off or closed angle-cock on the line 8 8 of Fig. 3, with the rear train-pipe air-vent and part of the connecting-pipe of the signalwhistle in rear elevation. Figs. 9,11, and 13 are respectively several diiterent forms of plug alternative to that shown in Figs. fl, 5, 6 and under some conditions preferable thereto; and Figs. 10, 12, and 1a are respectively horizontal transverse sections, with partial elevational view, of the said three al- Fig. 5 is a horizontal transternative forms of plug on the lines 10 10, 12 12, and 14 14 of Figs.'9, 11, and 13, respectively.

Like reference-numerals indicate like parts in all the figures.

Direction arrows within the pipes and conduits indicate the flow of air-current when the angle-cock is opened and closed, respectively. Arrows above and below the anglecock in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 11, and 13 point toward the engine at the head of the air-brake train pipe or toward the brake-cylinders of the car to which the angle-cock is attached. Arrows on either side of Figs. 4, 9, 11, and 13 indicate the direction in which the partial elevational views are taken in the'sections shown in Figs. 5, 6, 10, 12, and 14. Figs. 4, 9, 11, and 13 are like side elevations, except that Fig. 9 shows a plug partially turned, so as to better illustrate the particular form of air-escape conduit there used.

is the iron train-pipe secured to the car and leading ahead to the engine or to the brake-cylinder of the car and is coupled into the threaded end 21 of the angle-cock casing.

22 is'the rubber hose leading to the rear train-pipe and coupled into the threaded end 23 of the angle-cock casing.

24 is the conical plug of the angle-cock, seated pressure-tight within the brass bushing 25 and held in place by the screw-cap 26 and spiral spring 27 and operated back and forth through a quarter-turn to open and shut oif the rear train-pipe by the detachable handle 28.

29 and 30 are the ports in the plug that register, respectively, when the train-line is open with the train-pipe ahead and the train-pipe to the rear. The said port 29, leading to the train-pipe ahead when the angle-cock is in through train-line, registers with the port 31 in the bushing and angle-cock casing when the angle-cock is partially or completely shut olf, and the said port 31 leads escaping air into the T-joint 32 and thence through the connecting-pipe 33 and stopcock 34 to the signal-whistle 35. Such escaping air flows into the plug and thence through the port 31, as just set forth, from the train-pipe ahead through the additional port 36 in the side of the plug 24, ninety degrees from the vertical median line of the port 29. This said port 36 may, if desired, be laterally elongated in the direction of the shut-off rotation of the plug 24, so that the said port will begin to take escape-air from the train-pipe ahead when the plug is but slightly turned from its through-train-line position. The signalwhistle connecting with the angle-cock at the extreme rear of the whole air-brake train-pipe is cut off and the escape of air prevented by turning the handle of the stop-cock 34 into the position 44. (Shown in Fig. 7.) This position 44 of the handle of the stop-cock 34 also serves to warn the trainmen of any accidental or intentional shut-off of a signal-whistle connected with any angle-cock ahead of the rear end of the train-pipe. The T-joint 32 has a screw-cap at its lowest end to facilitate cleaning. One hundred and eighty degrees from the port 36 a conduit 37 has its lower end open to the train-pipe to the rear when the plug is so turned that the angle-cock is partially or completely shut OK, as shown especially in Fig. 3, and when the plug is so turned the upper end of this said conduit 37 registers more or less completely with another port 38 in the bushing and angle-cock casing, and air from the rear train pipe passes through the said conduit 37 and port 38 and escapes through the sieve-capped L-tip 39, and the pressure is thereby reduced in the rear train-pipe, and the brakes operated from said pipe are more or less gradually set. Either or both ends of the said conduit 37 may be laterally elongated in the direction of the shut-off rotation of the plug 24, so as to permit the passage of escape-air through the said conduit when the plug is but slightly turned from its through-train-line position. Such an elongation is indicated at 40 in Fig. 4 for the upper end of the conduit 37. The size of the conduit 37 and its open ends is determined by the amount of air-escape desired; but it is preferable to have the escape sufficiently gradual to prevent throwing the brakes to the rear into emergency and yet sufficiently rapid to completely set the brakes to the rear within a reasonably short time after the angle-cock is accidentally or intentionally thrown out of through train-line.

Figs. 9, l0 and 11, 12 and 13, 14 show, respectively, three different forms 41 42 43 of conduits or air-escape vents that may be used to reduce the pressure, substantially as above set forth, in the train-pipe to the rear. The forms shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 11, 12 are mere channels in the conical surface of the plug. The forms shown in Figs. 11, 12 and 13, 14 permit the escape of the air from the upper portion of the plug without the intervention of the port 38 and sieve-capped L-tip 39. The cost of construction of these forms 41, 42, or 43 may be less than that of the form 37,'(shown in all the other figures,) but their durability may under some conditions be less.

The operation of. our device depends substantially on the principle that as soon as the ports 29 and 30 are thrown partially or completely out of through train-line air shall escape under pressure from the train-pipe ahead through the ports 36 and 31 into the signal-whistle pipe 33 and shall also escape from the train-pipe to the rear through the conduit 37. Either of these two escapes may be dispensed with and the other retained; but it is preferable to use both, and thereby simultaneously warn both the engineer and the rest of the train-crew when an angle-cock is improperly shut off or tampered with.

In the foregoing description our invention is set forth as embodied in certain particular and preferable forms of construction; but we do not limit ourselves to such special forms.

We now claim 1. An air-brake angle-cock provided with means whereby any displacement of the plug from through-train-line position automatically allows escape of compressed air from the hose connection of the angle-cock into the open air, and, independently, from the trainpipe on the other end of the angle-cock into a signal-pipe controlled by a stop-valve, substantially as specified.

2. In an air-brake angle-cock, a plug provided with separate conduits whereby any displacement of said plug from through-trainline position automatically allows escape of compressed air from the hose connection of the angle-cock into the open air and, independently, from the train-pipe on the other end of the angle-cock into a signal-pipe controlled by a stop-valve, substantially as specified.

8. In an air-brake angle-cock, in combination, a plug provided with two separate conduits adapted to register respectively, upon any displacement of said plug from throughtrain-line position, with the entrance of the hose connection of the angle-cock and with the train-pipe on the other end of the anglecock, an angle-cock casing provided with a vent adapted to discharge the air escaping through the latter only of the aforesaid conduits, and a signal-pipe provided with a stopvalve and connected with the said vent, substantially as specified.

4. In an air-brake angle-cock, in combination, a plug provided with two separate conduits adapted to register respectively, upon any displacement of said plug from throughtrain-line position, with the entrance of the hose connection of the angle-cock and with the train-pipe on the other end of the anglecock, an angle-cock casing provided with two separate vents respectively adapted to discharge the air escaping through the first and the second of the aforesaid conduits, and a signal-pipe provided with a stop-valve and connected with the second only of the two aforesaid vents, substantially as specified.

5. In an air-brake angle-cock, in combination, a plug provided with two separate conduits adapted to register respectively, upon any displacement of said plug from throughtrain-line position, with the entrance of the hose connection of the angle-cock and with the train-pipe on the other end of the anglecock, the second of said conduits being further adapted to discharge into the throughway of the plug, an angle-cock casing provided with two separate vents adapted to register respectively, upon the aforesaid displacement of the plug, with the dischargeorifice of the first conduit aforesaid and with the throughway of the plug, and a signal pipe provided with a stop-valve and connect ed with'the second only of the two aforesaid vents, substantially as specified.

6. In an air-brake-angle-cock, in combination, means whereby the shutting off of the through-port automatically operates a signal upon or within the train, and a plug provided with a conduit or vent adapted to allow the escape of air from the train-pipe to the rear when such plug is turned from its throughtrain-line position, and an L.- tipped sieveprotected vent for such conduit in the anglecock casing, substantially as specified.

7. In an air-brake angle-cock, in combination, means whereby the shutting off of the through-port automatically sets the brakes by direct escape of compressed air through the angle-cock casing into the open air, and a plug provided with ports through which air may escape and operate a signal device when said plug is turned from its throughtrain-line position, and a stop-cock adapted to cut off said signal device without afiecting the aforesaid setting of the brakes, substantubular conduit or vent in the aforesaid plug adapted to allow the gradual escape of compressed air from the train-pipe to the rear, directly through the angle-cock casing into the open air, when such plug is turned as aforesaid, and an L-tipped vent for said conduit in the angle-cock casing, substantially as specified.

PATRICK MCGUIRE. CHRIS WAHL. Witnesses:

HENRY Lovn CLARKE, FRANK HAHN. 

